


to protect and to serve

by nofirstdraft



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:01:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21577246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nofirstdraft/pseuds/nofirstdraft
Summary: an influencer, a model and a philanthropist need protection. luckily they're all attending the same university. three agents are tasked with keeping them safe. it's like 21 jump street but different.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> based loosely on this thread: https://twitter.com/chaengsthetic/status/1160917746831351814

Son Chaeyoung hated the outdoors. It wasn’t that she didn’t love nature, as a child she spent all the time she could outside; throwing herself around in the burning midday sun, stockpiling bruises; tracing her favorite constellations as they blinked into existence, her eyes getting heavier, the deep purples and blues emerging on her arms and legs a mirror to the night sky. When she was old enough to really consider what she wanted her adult life to look like, Chaeyoung would often picture herself sitting atop a camper - her camper - tracing the sky, without a care in the world….

“....yes, this is where she would be spending a majority of her time, the quad is not only the central social ecosystem it also connects together a majority of our teaching spaces…..”

Chaeyoung had every care in the world right now. 

Open spaces. That’s why she hated the outdoors. They made everyone so vulnerable. 

Jihyo had motioned to her at the start of their campus tour to make note of any high risk spaces. If her subtle nod hadn’t implied she expected discretion Chaeyoung would have kindly informed her that _it’s college asshole. They’re not safe anywhere_.

Instead she silently marked where they might need an extra pair of eyes, where someone might situate themselves for a swift getaway, where someone could inflict maximal damage in minimal time. It was a shame that she had to reduce a campus so beautiful to facts and figures, to hypotheticals that were all doom and all gloom. 

And it was a beautiful campus. 

Fall weather really brought it out. The red hued bricks bouncing off the littered oranges and browns of fallen leaves. The lazy blue sky and the stark trees, for a moment Chaeyoung felt like she was in a movie, or a really good music video. She let her mind drift to the start of classes, students in warm jumpers cradling their coffees and complaining about class schedules. The summer, friends laying on the fresh green grass, idiots on their penny boards already late, crop tops, iced coffees….

“...with regard to schedules, you have to understand demand for certain classes is very high, and this information-your assignment is not something we can disclose to a professor, not even a tenured one….”

She wasn’t in a movie. She was working. And they had just hit an unexpected roadblock.

“We were _specifically_ told to provide ‘round the clock’ protection. We were _specifically_ told by your institution that our needs would be met. So what exactly are you telling me right now?” 

Jihyo was angry. It was nice having someone so outwardly fierce as a handler. Admittedly, she found her present company a little patronizing, she didn’t need to be assisted on a campus tour. But Jihyo must have known the prospect of this task was daunting and a tour from the President of the University, especially one so staid and rehearsed, could’ve distracted her from the task at hand.

She might have felt normal for a moment.

A loud buzz pulled Chaeyoung from her thoughts. It was a familiar sound, it rang throughout the offices back home, a signal of safety, of permission, of rank. The door’s parted on their own, President Polak led, Jihyo and Chaeyoung followed. 

The hallway was like a tunnel, narrow and dark. Paintings of past Presidents lined the walls, lights illuminating their pale skin. It felt like they were watching you, reprimanding you. Of course it made sense, these were figureheads, era definers, legacy makers. To certain people they were inspirational, to Chaeyoung they were a reminder that this was a place with an image, a controlled image. Light draws focus. And darkness hides things.

Outside Polak’s secretary tapped away at her keyboard, immersed in planning Chaeyoung assumed. Polak is probably a busy man. He offered a polite nod and she returned a sweet smile. Must be a regular routine.

“I’m in a very important meeting for the next ten minutes. Whatever it is, it can wait.” Polak looked to Jihyo, as though he was expecting a thumbs up, maybe a hug. Jihyo offered nothing and Polak shifted the handle of his office door, pushing it open. 

“Please..” he motioned for them to enter. Jihyo offered Chaeyoung a quick glance as they passed through, enough to let her know she was angry. Chaeyoung braced herself.

The chairs they occupied were wooden and rigid and placed at a lower angle to Polak as he took a seat. It’s a tactic she’d seen deployed before, a bullshit power move he probably read in _The_ _Art of the Deal_. Consider all conversations a negotiation, make your opponent uncomfortable, then you can win, Chaeyoung hated it. When you’ve been taught to manipulate people for a living, the transparency of a low level negotiation ploy is just frustrating. 

“...Now as you can see..” Polak spun his desktop around to reveal a spreadsheet of names, codes and colors so dense it made Chaeyoung’s head spin. Jihyo on the other hand was practically confronting it, head forward, gaze intense.

“I can’t see, not really. Explain.” She flicked her stare up to Polak. Jihyo might punch this man. 

Polak took a breath, “It’s difficult to simply slip your agent into this class. Not without having her actually participate.” Under Jihyo’s gaze he almost swallowed the last few words.

Chaeyoung was enjoying their spar so much she didn’t immediately catch on to his implications. Then she did.

“Wait. I have to participate? In a philosophy class? I spelled Kant with a ‘C’ _yesterday_.” Polak tried to hide his surprise when Chaeyoung spoke up. She had stayed quiet so far, letting Jihyo talk, but faced with potentially having to take classes pushed her over the edge. 

“Your target is actually far advanced despite her age. She’s attending 400 level classes, Heidegger and such.” Chaeyoung was too consumed by her dilemma to even consider that Polak’s ‘ _and such_ ’ may have been a gleeful salt in the wound moment. He wasn’t particularly happy about having his campus invaded, but he loved money so she assumed it levelled out. 

Chaeyoung glanced to Jihyo. She attempted to mask her anxiety but Jihyo easily saw through it. She steeled herself.

“When we laid out our intentions with this assignment, you assured us our agents would be able to dedicate class time to their own investigation-”  
  
“And we found a space for them to-”  
  
“Let me finish. _No academia necessary._ You told me that with a smile. We have their covers lined up, ready to go, these aren’t created with ease. You are potentially endangering your students by taking time away from a serious ongoing investigation.” Jihyo had risen from her chair as she spoke, hands flat on the desk, invading Polak’s space. Chaeyoung watched with admiration, if she had a Park Jihyo flag she would be waving it right now.

Polak waited for a moment before replying, making sure Jihyo had finished her sentence, not wanting to incur that level of wrath again. He rubbed at his palm and exhaled, his breath was shaky. 

“Certain incidents involving admissions have placed undue scrutiny on our students, who they are and what they study. It’s also made discrimination a newsworthy item and some people, your Abigail Fisher types, would jump at the chance to find and loudly call out biases or anomalies they find. Professors potentially as well. We don’t want to put your agents in an uncomfortable and public position.” It was a half truth. Polak was right, but framing it as protection for _them_ and not _him_ was a very obvious lie.

Jihyo sat down as she began to reconsider the finer details of the mission. She clasped her hands together, leaned forward.

“Our agreement with their assignments still stands?” 

“Of course. All they’ll need to do is attend classes, be comfortable enough with the content to occasionally participate in discussion.”

“Everything else we agreed upon?” 

“It’s all in place, we’ve a secure space for your agents to carry out their investigation.”

Jihyo looked to Chaeyoung. A silent confirmation that this situation wasn’t perfect and Jihyo wasn’t completely happy. Chaeyoung offered a reassuring smile, a small nod, enough to show she understood Jihyo had tried her best. 

“Well, I'd be lying if I said this was enjoyable. But we appreciate your assistance and your discretion.” Jihyo rose from her seat. 

“Thank you, Sir.” Chaeyoung thought she should input something as she followed suite. 

Polak began to rise with them. Jihyo waved a hand, swatting him away. “We’ll see ourselves out.” 

She held the door for Chaeyoung, ushering her into the foyer where Polak’s secretary was still focused deeply on her desktop screen. She glanced up for a moment, offering a polite smile. 

“He didn’t even offer us a coffee.” Jihyo made the announcement once they were out of ear shot. 

“Would you have accepted if he did?” Chaeyoung held the door this time, letting Jihyo exit out onto the campus.

“Absolutely not, but it’s always nice to be asked.” Jihyo pulled the zip on her jacket. The cool fall air was not kind to the black t-shirt Chaeyoung had chosen to wear, trying to look the part in case any students had shown up a week before orientation. 

They fell into step, making their way towards the car. 

“Can I ask…” Chaeyoung glances to Jihyo. Her eyes are already on her, an eyebrow raised. “What was the ‘agreement’?” 

“Agreement?” 

“With our assignments?” The campus path was slick with fallen leaves. Chaeyoung was half focused on trying not to slip. 

“Oh.” Jihyo grew a wry smile, “You don’t have to worry about your homework, Freshman.” 

Chaeyoung made sure she saw her roll her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing this whilst i procrastinate. another chapter is kinda done. if you like this cool and thank you for checking it out.


	2. meet the team

“Brown for coffee, white for tea. Did you know that?” Dahyun ripped another sachet of sugar and poured it into her coffee.

“Yes. Everyone knows that.” Tzuyu pulled herself from her phone to offer a soft glare. “Are you gonna clean that?” She lowered her eyes to the sugar that had missed Dahyun’s cup and collected on the counter. There was too much, like she’d missed her cup entirely and just poured directly on to the surface. 

“Yes.” Dahyun mimicked, glare and all. She grabbed a napkin and swept the crystals to the floor. “Happy?” 

“Never.” Tzuyu returned to her phone as Dahyun took a seat next to her. 

Their situation room was coming into its own. When the space was introduced to them, it was bare; dark walls and a linoleum floor, an admittedly high-tech, intricate lighting rig above them.  Formerly used for Intro to Theatre classes, now repurposed to find out who might want to endanger the lives of three college students. They had a table, chairs, a projector and, most importantly, a coffee machine. 

“Oh thank God.” Chaeyoung brought her cup to it immediately, making sure to press  _ extra shot _ a couple of times.

“Good morning!”

“You’re late.”

Chaeyoung turned to find her colleagues ready and waiting. No mistaking who had said what, Dahyun beaming at her, half of her coffee already gone, Tzuyu still buried in her phone. 

“That’s my fault.” Jihyo entered carrying a stack of case files. “Thanks for helping by the way.” 

Chaeyoung was too busy stirring her coffee to reply.    
  
“She made a mess too, gonna say anything?” Dahyun leaned in to whisper to Tzuyu, pointing to where a half asleep Chaeyoung had missed her cup entirely, spilling sugar everywhere.

“This table fits fifteen people minimum, why are you sitting so close to me?” It wasn’t a serious question and Dahyun’s response was appropriately ridiculous, loudly shifting her seat away from Tzuyu, making a point to look at her with doe eyes each time she shifted an inch. Tzuyu just shook her head, failing to hide her amusement. 

“Son, help me with this.” Jihyo connected a laptop to the projector in the middle of the table which Chaeyoung fired up, blowing the dust from the fan like that might actually do something. 

The fan whirred for a moment, and the light flickered. Eventually the projector came to life, the light beaming out and hitting the wall. Three bright faces appeared on the dark paint.

Chaeyoung took a seat and a slow sip of coffee, studying the images in front of her.

“Here...” Jihyo began passing out their case files “...are your assignments. You’ll need to know a little about each others subject for safety purposes. Chou. Let’s go.” 

Jihyo flicked a button to bring up the first slide. It was an Instagram post, a selfie, heavily filtered and framed to indicate the person was wearing a low-cut top without actually revealing it.

Jihyo turned to Tzuyu, narrowing her gaze.

“You know what she captioned this post?  _ Feeling lonely.” _ Tzuyu rolled her eyes. 

“It’s good to see we’ve been doing our homework.” Jihyo clicked forward with a shake of the head, revealing a Passport photo.

“Son, Kim, in case you don’t know, meet Im Nayeon.” Jihyo pulled herself to the side, letting Tzuyu take center stage. She opened her folder to read off her notes.

“Im Nayeon.” Tzuyu gestured to photo in front of them. “Im is a party girl but prefers to go by Forbes’ descriptor: ‘Influencer/Business Woman’.” Tzuyu pauses, “Do you want me to read a quote from the article?” 

“Yes. Please.” Dahyun interrupts before Jihyo can most likely say no. 

Tzuyu takes out her phone and begins reciting, “‘ _The level of attention, it can be overwhelming,’_ _Im sweeps her dark hair over one shoulder_ ” Tzuyu mirrors the action mockingly, “ _and takes a sip from her Starbucks cup, ‘but I understand it, powerful people are interesting…. I would follow me.’”_ Another pause from Tzuyu, like she’s steadying herself as to not eyeroll out of existence. 

“Let’s get back to relevant information.” Jihyo gets things back on track.

“Im started a lifestyle brand aged 16 and nurtured it into an empire.” Tzuyu begins clicking through a collection of the awards Nayeon had received. “30 under 30, Forbes, Fortune 500. Magazine covers, talk shows, award shows, celebrity partners and she’s barely 21. Her image is entirely curated by a team of publicists and stylists.”

Tzuyu clicks forward to bring up Nayeon’s Instagram again. She can see Jihyo shift in her chair and begins talking before she can interrupt her. She clearly wasn’t a fan of Tzuyu blatantly insulting the person she’d been tasked with protecting.

“Then, a few months ago, Im decides she wants to attend University. On May 15th she posted a picture wearing a Yale sweatshirt with the caption  _ Theater Major _ . Most people thought it was a joke until outlets confirmed it wasn’t. Fans, journalists, no one fully knows why she wants to uproot her life like this.” 

“It’s not just public image?” Dahyun offered from the back of the room, patiently waiting for the coffee machine to dispense her second cup.

Tzuyu shakes her head, “there are plenty of ways she could go to college without going to college. Harvard offers short form business classes. If this was about her image I don’t think she’d be taking prerequisites.”

“A hobby?” Dahyun offered again, moving back to her seat.    
  
“That’s a lot of time and effort for a hobby.” Jihyo added. She motioned for Tzuyu to continue. A click brought up the next image, a group of men, all similar looking, broad and intimidating.

“She’s faced scrutiny recently for her ‘strange’ behavior. It’s believed she dropped her personal security team. Certain trades have linked her actions to a recent break-up and her last shareholder meeting had an abnormally high level of attendance, usually a sign of unrest or at least a significant change on the horizon.” 

Tzuyu’s research was comprehensive, it always was, but the image Nayeon had constructed was like a shield, going to Yale was the most vulnerable thing she’d ever done, maybe that’s why it was so confusing.

“Is...” Chaeyoung stopped herself. She had been quiet so far, mostly from tiredness, but something in the mystery over why Nayeon would apply to Yale had struck her, namely that she didn’t see it as much of a mystery. 

Jihyo gives a small nod, permission, “speak.”

“I mean.. is it possible it’s her ex.” Chaeyoung lost confidence as she spoke, letting her voice trail off. The more awake she became the more she realised that maybe her theory wasn’t the best.

“Her ex-girlfriend?” Tzuyu had never looked more skeptical and now Chaeyoung had almost entirely lost faith in her idea. She sank further into seat, glancing to Jihyo, hoping she could pull her back up again. 

Jihyo spoke plainly, no judgement, “Son. Elaborate.” It wasn’t the reassurance she needed but it was enough to buoy Chaeyoung to continue, albeit with reluctance.

“It’s..” She took a breath, then restarted. 

“I remember reading about her break up. Around April, it was everywhere...this mysterious person that she wanted to marry breaks up with her. Months later she’s suddenly going to Yale, way after admissions closed. I mean do you think maybe her girlfriend, her ex-girlfriend, is...an English major.” 

Jihyo and Tzuyu were a mirror of doubt, furrowed brows and intense gazes directed her way. 

“It did happen in Legally Blonde” Dahyun pointed her stirrer at Chaeyoung, her evidence only convincing herself.

Tzuyu turned her gaze to Dahyun. “That’s a movie.”

“So is Citizen Kane.” 

“That doesn’t make any sense.” 

Tzuyu’s grasp on the projector’s remote tightened. Jihyo moved things along, “Do we know the girlfriend?”

Tzuyu broke her stare from Dahyun, a resigned sigh as she answered, “No. No one does.”

“Then we can’t rule it out. They could be a lead, or in danger themselves, just keep it in the back of your mind as you get close to her.”

Jihyo met Chaeyoung, gave her a small nod of approval, that was all the acknowledgment you ever got from Park Jihyo. It was nice. 

Tzuyu continued with her presentation.

“Im receives a lot of hate mail, but her recent decision, the fact it will mean she’s withdrawing from a lot of her corporate and social responsibilities has intensified the threats. In June, she began receiving these messages…” Tzuyu clicked to reveal the handwritten messages. 

Everyone shifted in their seats as they read. The content was dark and graphic. Chaeyoung stared into her coffee after the first sentence. Tzuyu quickly clicked away.

Jihyo stayed quiet for a moment, “Son, Kim your assignments received the same messages?” 

“Same paper, same envelope, same handwriting yeah. But certain… specifics are different.” Chaeyoung confirmed. 

The projector whirred away. It felt louder. A stillness had settled over the room after seeing the letters. The danger these young women were in was real and tactile and the current state of the world offered little evidence to suggest the person behind them wouldn’t act on it.

“Combined with her now lack of security there’s clear reason to believe she’ll need protection. As per the brief, I will be Nayeon’s roommate double majoring in Theatre and  Kinesiology . Our schedules will cross paths enough for me to closely monitor her with the second major providing an excuse to attend our team meetings.” A final click to a black screen. Tzuyu closed her folder.

“Thank you, Chou” Jihyo and Tzuyu shared a curt nod as she sat down, a sigh of relief as she settled back in place. This job wasn’t going to be easy. 

“Kim, you’re up.”

“Excellent.”

Dahyun made her way to the front of the room, settling in front of the laptop and bringing up her own presentation.

She opened her file, it was fuller than Tzuyu’s, courtesy of some handouts she was hesitating over. Dahyun held for a fraction of a second than picked them up and passed them out.

Chaeyoung immediately stifled a laugh, glancing across the table to see Tzuyu doing the same.

Dahyun had handed them a piece of paper adorned with a picture of herself, taken in a bathroom mirror, decked in every piece of gear she owned, and one of her assignment taken from who knows where. A large sparkly question mark separated them. Across the bottom she’d written multiple taglines: _She’s_ _putting the A in CIA. College is hard, protecting an asset is harder. A Top Secret mission with a Grade A twist._

Chaeyoung looked to Jihyo. She had a hand to her temple, staring in disbelief at what she’d been presented. Tzuyu continued to attempt to cover her laughter.

Dahyun waited for their attention, stone-faced, as though she hadn’t handed them a poorly made poster for a straight-to-Netflix rom-com.

“Myoui Mina-” Dahyun began but was immediately interrupted.

“How long did this take you, Kim?” Jihyo was still staring at what she had just been given.

“About five minutes.” Dahyun maintained a straight face. It was impressive how capable she was of not breaking.   
  
Jihyo finally looked up. She placed her poster on the table. “Continue.” 

“Myoui Mina. Daughter of  _ the _ Myoui Akira, founder and CEO of NewsNow, the media company. For many households it’s their number one news resource.”

“If instead of the actual news you want all your biases confirmed.” Tzuyu is the one interrupting this time. 

Dahyun gave Tzuyu a covert nod of approval, then continued, “Her mother was an artist, a writer. Sometimes she guest lectured at Wesleyan. She passed away when Mina was fifteen.” Dahyun hesitated around the specifics, eventually just settling on a stiff, “suicide.” She clicked forward on the presentation.

Pictures followed of Mina’s dad in a suit, a younger woman on his arm, “her dad remarried in 2016, Mina didn’t attend the wedding. Official reports said she was out of the country but we have her placed in a New York at the time.”

“Anything there?”

“No just family stuff, standard issue. She’s a very private person but it’s clear she was close to her mom.”

“Her charity.” Jihyo asserted. The charity was well known, mostly for its lavish parties, you’d be extremely fortunate to score an invitation to a Myoui fundraiser.

“Honestly, everything. Her whole career. Her mom’s first book was a collection of short stories called  _ Girl _ and one of the stories is about a ballet dancer. Mina is quoted saying that inspired her to pursue ballet. The charity is in her name. And  _ the logo _ ,” Dahyun clicks through the presentation to find it: a small white ribbon loosely looped to resemble a heart. She reaffirmed, “e _ verything _ .” 

A silence fell as the ribbon shined against the wall. This girl’s altruism was so magnetic it had left everyone introspective.

Dahyun reset by going forward, a click, and the presentation moved on, “she’s majoring in Dance and Minoring in Global Health, it’s all very much in the family plan. Her father has been a donor for the past ten years and NewsNow reporting was very kind when members of the faculty faced some strong allegations. As far as we know, Myoui Mina is perfect  _ and _ rich, but I guess that’s reason enough to want to hurt her.” 

“Anything on the charity?”

“Surprisingly clean. Dedicated to helping people with mental health issues and investing in individuals’ treatment and recovery. Mina organizes the events, New York’s finest show up and donate. They’re not the cleanest people in the world but they give a little, look kind, she shakes their hand, takes their money, doesn’t need to see them again for another month or so, ordinary stuff.”

“A seat plan for an event a year ago had Im Nayeon listed as an attendee but there’s no reports to confirm she actually showed up.” Tzuyu offers.

“You looked into it?” Jihyo poked, she always did, making sure the research was airtight. It was rare that Tzuyu and Dahyun missed much however. 

“Of course, in-depth-”

“-And we couldn’t find anything.” 

Jihyo nodded, she trusted them.

“Okay. Kim. We should move on-” 

“I actually have a question,” Dahyun interrupted. 

Jihyo was a little taken by the interruption, she wasn’t really one for interruptions, ever. She instinctively glanced to the poster Dahyun had made, the sparkly pink question mark. She made sure to be short with her, “go ahead.”

“You told us about the President’s changes, that we may have to attend classes now.”

“Yes.”

“Well, Mina is studying dance,” Dahyun braced herself, “I have to dance?” Chaeyoung and Tzuyu immediately broke into laughter, unable to contain it. Dahyun’s glare was pained. 

“We’ll see what we can do.” Jihyo fought back a smile. A part of her wanted to pretend Dahyun had to attend dance classes purely for her own amusement.

“Please.” Dahyun collected her file and took a seat. “Imagine me dancing.” Her whisper was to no one, it seemed to escape due to sheer disbelief at her situation but Tzuyu broke again, burying her head in her folded arms to cover it up. 

Jihyo moved things along. “Son, you’re up.”

Chaeyoung made her way to the front, opened her file to her first round of notes, the basics.

“Our last assignment.” Tzuyu announced with a grin.

“You’re new roommate.” Dahyun teased, back in her chair and seemingly recovered from her bad news.

Chaeyoung brought up her first slide, a photo. 

“Minatozaki Sana. Unlike our other targets she’s from a relatively... unprivileged background.” Chaeyoung selected her words carefully. “Her mom and dad both taught, he was at the local high school, she was at the middle school. She’s pretty much a living stereotype, popular, head cheerleader, amazing grades, no one had a bad word to say about her. She was voted most likely to succeed in her  _ Middle School _ yearbook-”

“Middle School?” Dahyun was in disbelief.

Chaeyoung nodded, also surprised, “Middle School.”

Chaeyoung brought up the photo in question, blurry but unmistakably Sana, her many achievements listed below.

“Dance captain, maybe she could give you some tips.” Tzuyu noted, looking to Dahyun with a grin. She was never going to drop it. Even Jihyo was stifling a smile.

Chaeyoung just moved on with a click.

“By high school she was already a semi-professional model. She was working at Claire’s in a mall, when she was scouted. She eventually moved to New York to model full time. Her parents are still based in Ohio.”

Chaeyoung clicked through a couple of her modelling photos. They were self-explanatory, she mainly included them because she liked them. In fact, in her research she had found herself warming to the girl. Maybe her modelling skills were just that good, a few images and Chaeyoung felt like she knew her, or maybe she was as genuine as everyone knew she was, even in middle school.

“Her image has certainly been highly saturated recently but it’s almost all professional, brand deals, magazine covers you know, she's rarely the focus of tabloid attention.”

“Rarely?” Jihyo prodded.

“Yoo Jeongyeon.” Dahyun disguised the name drop under a cough, enough so that Chaeyoung and Tzuyu could hear it, but a clueless Jihyo just offered a  _ bless you _ .

“Sana had, has, a fairly.. public on and off relationship with Yoo Jeongyeon, an actress.”   
  
The name doesn’t register with Jihyo, her face blank.

“They met at a photoshoot, a  _ Young Hollywood _ thing. As much as they tried to keep their relationship private, they couldn’t, tabloids got a hold of them and never really let go. The fact they continue to seemingly break up and get back together… it has a lot of people invested.”

“An area of interest?” Now Jihyo was on board, Jeongyeon could provide a potential lead, a potential culprit.

“Certainly. Relationships, celebrity, they create a lot of obsessive, possessive people. She’s had stalkers before.” Chaeyoung had studied the files from the Police and the Private Investigators Sana’s own team had hired. 

“You looked into them?” 

“Yeah, they were in the clear.” It had been a fun night, reading about the entitled men who felt Sana owed them something. Chaeyoung slept better having photocopied their restraining orders and slipped them into her file.

Jihyo accepts, giving the go ahead and Chaeyoung returns to her presentation.

“She’s her own person, she applies herself and succeeds, it looks like Yale is another example of that. She wanted to study philosophy and she is, at a very high level.” Chaeyoung lets her mind drift to the 400 level classes she will most likely be attending, maybe she would rather be dancing, at least she could try and pass off amateurishness as art, there’s no subjectivity in not knowing how to spell Freud. 

A gentle clearance of the throat from Tzuyu brought her back to reality.

“So… the campus is usually kind to celebrity students, people generally leave them alone. Sororities however are probably considering Sana a  _ get _ .” 

A click brought up a short breakdown of the many Sorority houses on campus, likely already plotting which of the three assignments they wanted to try and recruit.

“Woah. Do you think Kappa Kappa Tau will make her President?” Dahyun adopted a fake West Coast accent, turning to Tzuyu with faux concern. 

“Surely they can’t make her rush! She did a commercial for Pepsi Max.” Tzuyu joined in, copying the accent and the concern. 

“If she joins a Sorority do you have to?” Dahyun dropped the accent, turning to Chaeyoung with a smug smile. 

“She’s not joining a Sorority. I looked at the Sorority emails-” 

“That’s called hacking-” Dahyun interrupted, motioning for Jihyo to make note of Chaeyoungs methods. Jihyo met her with a hard stare and a shake of the head so slow it was practically a threat.

“Sana’s team made it clear she won’t be joining a Sorority. She’s also not likely staying on campus full time. She has a dorm, I’m her roommate, but she has professional obligations too.”

“So why the double major, if she’ll be gone most of the time?” Tzuyu asked. It was an innocent inquiry but it put Chaeyoung on edge.

“Just in case I have to disappear on a whim, it’s an easy cover.” She rushed to her explanation. It made her look suspicious, she could feel it in the room.

“Is that everything?” Jihyo’s question bulldozed any tension. They had long exceeded what was supposed to be a short team briefing and she was looking to wrap things up.

Chaeyoung had a few more slides but she conceded, shaking her head, she sort of wanted this to be over too, “that’s everything.”

Jihyo stood up and made her way to the front of the room. The projector beam hit her, stealing the light from the rest of the room, focus entirely on her.

“Thank you all for the debriefings. I know what’s being asked of you is different and that might be exciting for you, but it’s important that we don’t underestimate the severity of this situation. Know your cover, stay close to your assignment and find out who wants to hurt them.”

“Yes Ma'am.” Dahyun was the only one to respond. 

“Big day tomorrow. Let’s make sure we all know who we are and what we’re doing.” One last passive aggression from Jihyo before she left, making sure to fold Dahyun’s poster and pocket it. It was anyone’s guess what she might do with it, blackmail maybe.

Chaeyoung sat back down, joining Dahyun and Tzuyu as they read through their files. It took less than a minute for Dahyun to break the silence.

“Do you wanna get a drink?”

Tzuyu and Chaeyoung replied in tandem. 

“Please”

“Always.”

They picked up their files and headed out, maybe student life wasn’t so bad. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all i have written for now. hopefully more to come. thank u for reading.


End file.
